Just stuff

Figure I better keep updates more frequently so y'all know I haven't had the baby yet. :-) (Or you could get on Facebook.)

Anyway, Jo the midwife was here yesterday for a checkup, and took blood for iron testing. My iron (HGB) went up another .6 units (remember it was 8.8 when I got serious about the supplements, went to 9.3 in 5 days, and now up to 9.9 in another week) in spite of the Dr's misgivings. However, the MCV and MCH (I think those are the ones; I'm certainly no expert) have risen only marginally. So what I'm told that means is that there's more iron circulating in my blood, but not any more in my reserves. So the recommendation is that I get my ferritin levels checked. I'm not sure what that is, either. :-O Apparently the Dr on base had "ordered" that test when I was up there last week, but forgot to let me know. So I will go up there today in hopes of having results by tomorrow. (Yeah, right.) Best thing for me to do is just not go into labor yet.

Other news - when we got home Saturday we found the old wet wipe box ---in the diaper bag! Who knows?

And, in what may be just another gadget purchase, or may end up being the means to our future, we now have studio lights and a portable backdrop stand. Bob was asked to take portraits at his Squadron Christmas party (about 200 people), and he can't do it without professional lighting. So we ordered a kit from B&H, got free shipping!!! and it arrived in about a week!!!! Anyone who has never had to order outside the continental US cannot understand the impact of that statement.

Taryn is coming along well in her piano lessons. She's learning scales and sight reading and chords and will soon be past my ability to help her as I never learned the G clef.

Ella is wearing protection at night, but is basically accident free in the daytime, now. I know people who push potty training on infants, but it sure is an easy transition if you wait until the child is ready.

Science Fair is tomorrow, and Taryn is doing a presentation on the stars. Mainly about where they are mentioned in the Bible, and how the visible constellations change from season to season. We are also taking some star-shaped sugar cookies.

Yesterday I forgot to fix supper, and Bob had the van, so I ordered pizza. The base pizza place delivers here, which I wasn't sure if they would. I could have gotten some from Lakenheath town, but they didn't have the toppings the children like. Funny how often I ordered pizza in Abilene, but have only done it a couple of times since we moved here (I did once or twice in Cheveley), so now it seems like a really novel thing again. I can't wait for grocery delivery to catch on in the States.

I finished Roughing It by Mark Twain, yesterday. Interesting book, very funny in places. I never knew jack rabbits were named after the jackass. In the book he actually called them "jackass rabbits." Thanks to modern slang we don't use those words in polite company now... He traveled to Nevada, California, and even to Hawaii (the Sandwich Islands); worked a dozen jobs and never made a cent.

And church people are calling me and offering help! My seventh child, and for the first time I'm getting outside offers (my Mom has been faithful to come and help out before, but I don't remember other people actually trying to do anything). I told one lady we were all right at keeping things picked up, but could use some real food. Now I'm looking around and thinking I need housecleaning, too. There are definitely things that need doing. So I guess I may as well do something. Sitting here hurts just as much as puttering around. :-/